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It wasn't that long ago that salmon farming companies listed on the Olso Stock Exchange were an outlier in an investor's portfolio. High risk and unclear returns made it difficult to bank on the industry, and the fragmentation made the sector far to volatile for most major financial institutions.

But in a new Business Intelligence report from IntraFish, World's Largest Seafood Companies: A Definitive Analysis for Investors and Industry, that's all changed.

Norwegian salmon farming giant Mowi now sits firmly at the top of an exclusive ranking of the world's seafood companies by market capitalization.

Mowi was formed in 2006 with the merger of three salmon farming giants -- Marine Harvest, Pan Fish and Fjord Seafood -- the result of Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen's vision for a global powerhouse to lead them all.

Today, that vision is more true than ever. IntraFish's new ranking, which also profiles every major global seafood company by revenue, showed major discrepancies between the amount of money companies brought in, and the true value of the business.

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While Mowi's $4.3 billion in revenue place it third in the ranking of seafood companies by revenue -- behind Japanese giants Maruha Nichiro and Nippon Suisan Kaisha (Nissui) -- the company stands head and shoulders in value over all stock listed companies.

Though the numbers fluctuate day to day, as of August, Mowi's market cap stood at $12.8 billion, a stunning 24 percent of the total value of the top 50 stock listed seafood companies IntraFish ranked.

In general, salmon farming companies make up a massive chunk of the overall market cap. In a distant second is another Norwegian salmon farming company, SalMar, with Leroy, Bakkafrost and Grieg all holding spots among the top 10.

Of course, a range of Asian giants hold a solid place across the list, but what's clear is that investors trust the security and long-term outlook for the salmon sector.

For more unparalleeld insight into the seafood sector, pre-order the newest IntraFish Business Intelligence Report, World's Largest Seafood Companies: A Definitive Analysis for Investors and Industry, by contacting subscribe@intrafish.com

And don't miss the upcoming IntraFish Seafood Investor Forum, on Sept. 19 in London, which will host and all-star lineup of seafood companies and investors. Seats are limited, so register today!

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